Snowblowers are known having upright chutes through which a snow stream can be thrown. It is common for the chute to be designed such that it can be rotated from one side to the other to direct where the snow stream is deposited laterally relative to the snowthrower. Typically, this rotation is accomplished by directly turning the chute (e.g., using a connected handle), manually turning a handcrank that turns the chute through a system of gears, or using a complicated mechanical system.
Each of these types of mechanisms has its own drawbacks though. For example, direct rotation of the chute can require that the operator move from behind the machine handle, which can be inconvenient and annoying to many users. Hand-cranked systems can be tiring and inconvenient to use, particularly where one must redirect the snow stream frequently as when going back and forth on a driveway or the like. More advanced mechanical systems can add costs to the design and manufacture of the snowblower, and they can contain one or more electric motors and a large number of components that can break or otherwise fail.
As a result, it would be desirable for a snowblower chute control device, system, and method to be durable, reliable, and simple to use while still providing effective operation of the snowblower chute.